THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Psalms: Living By Faith In God

CXXVII. God’s Personal Security Provisions

(Psalm 127:1-5)

Introduction: (To show the need . . .)

One of the great needs we face today is the need for personal security:

(1) We need personal security from threats from other countries: (a) “President Joe Biden’s lax immigration enforcement and open borders policies made this country highly vulnerable to acts of terrorism . . . Illegal aliens came from a total of 36 countries . . . with an ‘active’ terrorist presence.” (Jarrett Stepman, “Open borders have produced domestic terrorism,” Republican-American, June 5, 2025, p. A6) (b) “Republican and Democrat administrations have consistently ignored the obvious threat international students represent to national security . . . A Stanford Review investigative journalist concluded that China is orchestrating a widespread intelligence-gathering campaign at Stanford . . . Chinese president Xi Jinping’s only daughter Xi Mingze, a 2014 Harvard graduate who enrolled under an assumed name, is believed to still be living in the U. S. . . . No one knows who the unvetted Xi Mingze knew at Harvard, what secrets she may have uncovered . . . or . . . information she may have shared with her powerful father.” (Joe Guzzardi, “Trump is right to crack down on foreign students,” Ibid., June 11, 2025, p. A6) (c) “Groups linked to China’s military and intelligence service have targeted the smartphones of prominent Americans and burrowed deep into telecommunication networks, according to national security and tech experts. . . . ‘The world is in a mobile security crisis right now,’ said Rocky Cole, a former cybersecurity expert at the National Security Agency and Google and now chief operations officer at iVerify. ‘No one is watching the phones.’” (David Klepper, “Chinese hackers and user lapses turn smartphones into a ‘mobile security crisis,’” Ibid., June 9, 2025, p. A7)

(2) We need personal security from threats inside our nation: (a) A recent analysis by the Congressional Budget Office concluded that the “Republican tax bill approved by the U. S. House of Representatives would cost the poorest Americans roughly $1,600 a year while increasing the income of the wealthiest households by an average of $12,000 annually . . . (Conversely), Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other Republicans have sought to discredit the CBO’s analyses of the bill and say that the U. S. could head toward economic catastrophe if the measure is not passed.” (“GOP tax bill would cost poor American’s $1,600 a year,” Ibid., June 14, 2025, p. A7) (b) We face it with regard to our food supply: “Large-scale immigration raids at packinghouses and fields in California are threatening businesses that supply much of the country’s food, farm bureaus say . . . (President) Trump acknowledged growers’ concerns . . . (and) said on his social media account . . . ‘We must protect our Farmers but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!’ The California Farm Bureau said it has not received reports of a widespread disruption to its workforce, but there are concerns among community members.” (Amy Taxin and Dorany Pineda, “Immigration raids are threatening America’s food, farm bureaus say,” Ibid., June 14, 2025, p. A8)

Need: So, we ask, “What personal security does God offer from threats from outside or inside our nation?”

I. When Solomon authored Psalm 127:1-5 in ancient Israel, one’s personal security, family welfare and the security of his city and nation were all interrelated security issues (Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 885).

II. Consequently, Solomon wisely taught pilgrims who came to the temple in Jerusalem from all over Israel to rely on the Lord Who dwelt in that temple for all of their personal security needs, Psalm 127:1-5:

A. Solomon taught that the Lord must watch over threats from the outside to provide personal security, ver. 1-2:

1. Unless the Lord builds an individual’s house that provides shelter from the weather and immediate protection from evil men, its builders labored in vain, Psalm 127:1a.

2. Unless the Lord watched over a whole city of houses from another nation’s attacking army, the city watchman stood guard in vain, Psalm 127:1b.

3. Unless the Lord watched over the efforts of the heads of households in the city to rise up early and to stay up late earning a living during daylight hours, their efforts were in vain, for only the Lord grants sleep to those breadwinners whom He loves and who obey Him, Psalm 127:2.

B. Solomon taught that God must watch over threats from inside Israel to provide personal security, v. 3-5:

1. Psalm 127:3-5 focuses on the need for individuals living in a city to find capable legal defense when contending with harmful foes who counter them in court cases that were held in their city’s gates, Ibid.

2. Sons born to a head of household in time “help defend the family” in legal conflicts in the city gate, “for they are like weapons (arrows) in the hands of a mighty man,” Ibid.

3. Thus, Solomon testified that sons are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb His reward, and such sons are like arrows in the hand of a warrior when they are born to him in his youth, v. 3-4. The sons grow up to protect the head of the household in his later years when he is opposed by his enemies in court, v. 5!

Lesson: One’s personal security is ultimately and exclusively provided by the Lord, so to enjoy maximum personal security, we must rely on the Lord and obey Him.

Application: (1) May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God's gift of eternal life, John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. (2) If we are concerned about maximizing our personal security, may we rely on the Lord and obey Him in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit for blessing.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message and/or provide additional guidance . . .)

Though God provides personal security as we trust and obey Him, He also gives examples of wise conduct that enhance personal security, and passages in Nehemiah’s life address the issues of concern in our introduction:

(1) On the threat of infiltrated terrorists and international students who are potential threats, (a) Nehemiah 6:17-7:4 reports that Nehemiah learned that many people in Judah were under an oath to help one of Nehemiah’s enemies, Tobiah by name, for Tobiah was related by marriage to some of the Hebrews who were supposed to be helping Nehemiah (cf. Nehemiah 6:17-18). These gullible Hebrews kept telling Nehemiah of Tobiah’s alleged good deeds while they also told Tobiah what Nehemiah said, endangering Nehemiah’s work of rebuilding the city wall (Neh. 6:19)! Consequently, lacking secret communications before his enemy Tobiah, Nehemiah in Nehemiah 7:1-4 set the doors of the city gates in place following the construction of the wall, and he assigned two trustworthy men not to open the gates until the sun was high in the sky, and to shut the gates and bar them before nightfall! Nehemiah also appointed residents of Jerusalem as guards, putting some at their posts and others near their homes! (b) By way of application, we should assume widespread compromises on national security and thus take personal precautions at the local, personal level to be on guard for any unusual activities we observe and to act wisely in response to it!

(2) On compromises of American smartphones by Chinese cyberespionage agents, (a) Nehemiah 4:7-23 reports that when Israel’s Gentile foes Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, Ammonites and Philistines of Ashdod heard that the gaps in the city wall of Jerusalem were being filled by Nehemiah’s workmen, they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem, Nehemiah 4:7-8. Nehemiah then stationed some of the people behind the lowest parts of the wall by their families and arranged for half the laborers to work while the other half stood guard fully armed with Nehemiah controlling the trumpeter that he might summon people to any part of the wall at a moment’s notice, Nehemiah 4:9-20. This plan frustrated the goals of Nehemiah’s foes, for they realized that wherever they first attacked, they would meet fierce initial resistance, suffering significant casualties, Nehemiah 4:21-23. (b) Similarly, we need to assume that anything we communicate by smartphone may well be widely known by our enemies, so it is best to watch that we limit highly sensitive, personal matters to private conversations without the use of cell phones!

(3) On debated actions by the U. S. Congress that affect our income, (a) Nehemiah 5:1-5 reports how Nehemiah heard of financial wrongs that his Hebrew countrymen were committing against each other, so Nehemiah 5:6-13 records how Nehemiah challenged the wrongdoers to stop hurting their fellow countrymen, and how Nehemiah used his income as the Persian king’s cupbearer to donate to the material needs of his countrymen and how he refused his right as Judah’s governor to tax the people due to the financial hardships they faced. (b) Similarly, at the local level, we can do our best to give helpful financial advice to needy neighbors or fellow believers and donate as the case requires to help especially difficult cases of poverty in following Nehemiah’s example.

(4) On the alleged threat to our nation’s food supply amid raids on illegal immigrants involved in working on harvesting foods in farmlands, (a) Nehemiah 5:14-19 reports that for 12 years, Nehemiah and his helpers from Persia refused to eat the food legally allotted to the governor, which office Nehemiah then held. Rather, he used his own assets to feed 150 fellow Hebrews along with other needy Gentiles who came to him for help as Nehemiah butchered an ox, six choice sheep and poultry each day and distributed abundant wines every 10 days. In other words, Nehemiah did his best to address the needs of food insecure people around him to the degree that he could afford to do as the Persian king’s cupbearer. (b) Similarly, at the local level, we can use the lessons we have learned on being frugal, properly handling leftovers, selecting good fresh produce, etc. not only to eat well, but to inform others around us who may have costly, poor food selection practices to stretch the power of their income better to meet their needs. Nehemiah excelled in exampling good management of material resources, an action we can follow!

May we trust in Christ Who died as our Atoning Sacrifice for sin that we might receive God’s gift of eternal life. As for our personal security, may we rely on the Lord to obey Him for all the security we need.